(Lander, WY) – Veterans from the American Legion Don Stough Post 33 and the Lander VFW Post 954 & Auxiliary continued an annual Lander Veteran tradition for the Thursday, November 11th 2021 Veterans Day celebrations, and fired off cannons to coincide with the 7:00 AM firing of cannons at Arlington National Cemetery.
This year’s cannon crew consisted of Ken Persson Sr., Cory Butler, Holly Butler, and George Hampton.
Everyone met up at the VFW at 4:30 AM and braved the 20 degree weather before driving through town, firing the cannon at various stops in Lander.
After gathering the crew, the first stop was the 5:00 AM shot on Main Street to coincide with the 7:00 AM firing at the Arlington National Cemetery.
After the first few shots were fired by George, Cory and Holly got their turns as well, and there was even a strategically timed shot fired in front of Mayor Monte Richardson’s house.
Check out some more photos from all the cannon firing preparation!
Thanks again to all of the Veterans in Fremont County and the nation on this 2021 Veterans Day, thank you for your service!
For all of County 10’s Veterans Day coverage, click here.
(It was brought to County 10’s attention that despite the annual tradition often including members of both the American Legion Don Stough Post 33 and the Lander VFW Post 954 & Auxiliary, the roots of the cannon celebration began with the American Legion, which continues the tradition in conjunction with VFW members. We appreciate the clarification brought to us by an American Legion representative.)